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Chris Morrison and his nine-year-old daughter Riley are appreciative of Warriors star Stephen Curry responding back to her concerns about Curry 5s not being available in a woman’s size. Photo courtesy: Chris Morrison.

The moment left Riley Morrison feeling more inspired than whenever she watches Stephen Curry play basketball.

Riley, a nine-year-old from Napa, could not find Curry 5s in girl sizes on the Under Armour website. She and her father, Chris, however, discovered it was possible to order the Curry 5s in the boys section at any size. Riley then listened to her father’s suggestion to write a letter to Curry about her concerns.

Curry did not write back with a prepared statement written by a publicist. Nor did he write back in an annoyed tone. Instead, Curry expressed sympathy for Morrison’s frustration. Curry promised to correct Under Armour’s order procedures on its website. Curry vowed to send Riley both a pair of Curry’s 5s and a pair of the future Curry 6s for free. Curry then invited Riley to the Warriors’ game against Denver on March 8 at Oracle Arena, which coincides with International Women’s Day.

“It’s all about trying to get better in terms of everything that I represent,” Curry said. “When you hear somebody say they have an experience with your shoes and I try to serve as an inspiration for the kicks out there, it was a vantage point I hadn’t thought about. She opened my eyes and the company’s eyes to get better and make some quick changes.”

Curry also opened Morrison’s eyes into his efforts in improving gender equality in sports. He has spoken out on women’s rights issues, including equal pay. Curry penned an essay for The Players’ Tribune about raising two young daughters and supporting his wife, Ayesha, who recently gave birth to their son, Canon. Curry hosted a girl’s basketball camp this past summer. Morrison expressed amusement she has the same first name as one of Curry’s daughters, finding it “funny” whenever Riley sat with her father during post-game press conferences in recent years.

Riley Morrison at a Warriors game. Photo courtesy: Chris Morrison.

After reading that personalized letter on Curry’s Twitter page, though, Morrison has a deeper appreciation for Curry’s efforts to make sports more inclusive to women. What better way to do that than to ensure any woman of any age can wear his new shoes?

“He’s a good person and he obviously didn’t have anything to do with the Under Armour problem,” Morrison said of Curry. “He’s been doing a good job with it. I can tell you he’s trying his best to fix it.”

Morrison, a fourth grader at Napa Valley Language Academy, estimated she will receive the Curry 5’s sometime this week. Then, Morrison plans to wear her new kicks during games with the St. Apollinaris Catholic Church basketball team of the Catholic Youth Organization in Napa.

This will represent the first time Morrison will sport Curry’s shoes. But just like most Warriors fans, Morrison has been a longtime Curry fan because of his MVP performances, his dazzling 3-point shots and dynamic playmaking.

Chris has taken Riley to a handful of games in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons at Oracle Arena while she wears her No. 30 Warriors jersey. She often watches Warriors games at home. And, sure, she steps on the blacktop and hardwood pretending to be Curry.

“I try to play as best as I can like him with my ball handling,” Morrison said.

Does she also shoot a lot of 3’s?

“No,” Morrison. said laughing. Perhaps when she gets older and expands her range. For now, she does not need to make those 3-pointers to become popular.

Morrison described the past week as “overwhelming” amid the attention she has received once Curry published his letter on Twitter. The reasons go beyond granting interviews with various media outlets.

“Just kids treating me at school and asking for autographs,” Morrison said. “Some sixth graders said they would pay me to get the Curry 6.”

What did Morrison say?

“I said, “‘I don’t think so’” Morrison said, chuckling.

Clearly, no dollar figure could match the sentimental value Morrison has for Curry’s sneakers. That partly explains why she felt so disappointed when she visited the Under Armour website and could not find a way to order the Curry 5s in her size in the girls section. When she and her dad checked the site again about month ago, they discovered the boys section had an option to order the Curry 5’s at a custom size.

Soon after, Morrison began drafting her letter. She outlined a list of bullet points she wanted to make. She brought up having the same name as Curry’s daughter. She shared her background as a Curry fan. She explained the website’s oversight, and expressed her disappointment. She urged Curry to address the issue.

Then her father woke up at around 7 a.m. last Thursday and turned on his phone. After logging onto Twitter, he quickly saw Curry’s post.

“It took me a few minutes to realize I’m reading a letter that Steph Curry wrote to my daughter,” Chris Morrison said, laughing. “Then I went and woke her up.”

The two then read Curry’s letter together. As Chris said, “that’s one of the coolest moments of my life.” Riley added, “I’m happy I changed and made a difference.”

“She spoke up. That’s a lesson in itself right there,” Curry said. “That’s a great connection. A lot of change happened in terms of how we go about in inspiring the next generation through my shoes and what I stand for.”